The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien review by Brent B.

Was there ever a book that you have heard a lot about but never bothered to pick it up? That’s how I discovered The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. I never seriously tried to read this book but when I did, the second I put it down all I could say was wow!
The book is set in Middle Earth; a fantasy world set in the time period of the middle ages. Many beings dwell in this Middle Earth, including Men, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Nymphs, and hobbits among many other creatures. Middle Earth is a very diverse place. There are mountains, plains, forests, canyons, and rivers. As our characters progress through the story all these wonderful places are toured by the reader. There are 5 main regions in which the people of middle earth live. Shire of the Hobbits, Rohan of the plainsmen, Gondor of the Kings, the Misty Mountains of the Dwarves and the dark land of Mordor. The Elves dwell in forests spread around middle earth like Lorien, and Mirkwood. My favorite place in the book is The Misty Mountains; there are many secrets, and magical qualities surrounding these mountains including Caradras Pass, and the dark Mines of Moria. This book creates a feeling for this majestic land and also creates the downcast theme of darkness that reflects the events of the world around the author. At the time Tolkien was writing the book Great Britain was locked in a desperate struggle for survival against Nazi, Germany and was a very depressed and fearful time in history. However, Tolkien did not create middle earth to reflect the events and the world around him, rather he puts this reflection of a struggle between good and evil that will decide the fate of many people.

There are many characters in the story, but the main group of them is a fellowship centered around Frodo a small Hobbit from a hilly region called the Shire. With him are three other hobbits named Samwise, Merry, and Pippin. The guide of the group is a Wizard named Gandalf the Grey (my favorite character) who is very powerful and mysterious, but is also kind and trustworthy. There is a ranger from the North nicknamed Strider, but his real name is Aragorn son of Arathorn, and he is the heir to the throne of Gondor. There is an Elf named Legolas from the forest of Mirkwood, and a Dwarf named Gimli from the Misty Mountains. Tolkien expertly describes each character and presents their unique skills and personalities. He lets the reader connect with the characters and you start to feel for the characters.

The Plot is exquisitely written and very imaginative. In the simplest description (It would take far more than a page to express it and even scratch the surface) a ring was created by the dark Lord, Sauron of Mordor, and was named the One Ring. It is an evil device that corrupts the heart of its beholder and is always striving to return to its creator, Sauron. The Ring was lost to him during a great battle in which Sauron was vanquished and passed hands till it came to Frodo, who inherited it from his uncle Bilbo Baggins. He later finds out from his friend Gandalf that it is Evil and must be destroyed. So Frodo and the Fellowship begin a quest to journey to the Volcano in Mordor where it was forged at to destroy the Ring.

In conclusion, this book is a great story of struggle between good and evil, it delves deep into detail and develops the story well. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a fantastic read and I would gladly read it again.